Connected Commerce Needs Connected Infrastructure

Payments are no longer just the final click. They connect customers, merchants, banks, payment methods, fraud systems, and the technology behind the checkout.

If that infrastructure is fragmented, the complexity doesn’t disappear. It simply moves behind the scenes – and eventually, merchants feel it.

DECTA’s recent research found that 40% of UK SMEs are frustrated with their current payment technology providers, citing issues including limited access to funds, slow integration, and a lack of transparency. More tellingly, nearly 52% said security was a higher priority than lower fees or access to the latest technology.

The message? Merchants don’t need another shiny piece of technology. They need the pieces they already have to work together.

More Choice, Less Complexity

The value of composable platforms is that merchants can create an ecosystem around their commercial needs and adapt as those needs change.

But flexibility only works when the infrastructure underneath it can keep up.

A merchant should be able to add a payment method, enter a new market, introduce a new payment flow, or change how transactions are routed without rebuilding its entire payments infrastructure.

This is where a unified, modular payments platform earns its place.

At DECTA, acquiring, gateway and processing technology, fraud and risk management, 360 Onboarding, and reporting are brought together through one connected platform.

Merchants can access multiple currencies and payment methods, digital wallets, recurring payments, instalments, refunds, routing, and branded checkout experiences, supported by API-first integration.

It’s not about how many boxes a provider can tick. It’s whether merchants can add what they need without starting again.

In May 2026, DECTA enabled PAIO to launch Visa acquiring without rebuilding its existing infrastructure. Through a single API, PAIO could connect network connectivity, authorisations, clearing, fraud and chargeback management, alongside gateway capabilities including 3DS2, recurring payments, payment links, and reporting.

This is connected payments in practice: adding capability without adding another headache.

From Composable to Genuinely Connected

There is a tendency to equate innovation with adding more: platforms, payment methods, integrations, and functionality.

And commerce doesn’t need any more disconnected technology.

For merchants, progress is about making sure those existing pieces work together without creating friction elsewhere.

Payments should not dictate how a merchant builds its commerce ecosystem; they should give it room to evolve.

As the industry comes together at eCommerce Expo to explore the future of connected commerce, that’s a conversation worth having.

If you’re rethinking your payments infrastructure, come and talk to DECTA at Stand D64 at eCommerce Expo. We’d love to show you what a more connected approach can look like.